A computer network is a network of computing devices that allows the computing devices to share resources. In computer networks, computing devices exchange data with each other using connections such as data links. The connections between computing devices are established using either cable media or wireless media. An example of a computer network is the Internet.
Network computing devices that originate, route, and terminate the data are called network nodes. Network nodes can include hosts such as personal computers, phones, servers as well as networking hardware. Two such network nodes can be said to be networked together when one network nodes is able to exchange information with the other device, whether or not they have a direct connection to each other. Computer networks differ in the transmission medium used to carry their signals, communications protocols to organize network traffic, the network's size, topology, and organizational intent.